How many times have you sworn to eat perfectly healthy this week or finally make the career leap you've been dreaming of, only to get distracted by Netflix and a junk food binge?
Before you write yourself off as hopeless, it's worth considering the fact that there are some interesting biological factors at play, designed to keep us in our comfort zone and avoid "out there" new behaviours. But with some clever strategies and persistence, you can override your brain's penchant for comfort zone living and start to craft your ideal life.
Why we hate change
Ever stuck with the same old boring schedule, despite knowing there might be more exciting avenues to pursue? Well you've got your own biology there to blame. Basically, our brain favours us cruising along in a safe way. If we've got access to food and shelter, our brain kicks back thinking things are going swimmingly.
But when our prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for conscious thought and goal-setting) has a lightbulb moment, the other parts of the brain can go into damage control. This is to try preventing the potentially dangerous interference with everyday life.
"Often the brain detects things that are different from what it's used to as a potential threat," says Nikki Rickard, Director of Psychology, Swinburne Online. "If something is out of whack, it registers fear and will trigger what we call the flight-fight response, which is preparing your body to avoid or go and attack the source of the fear."
One part of the brain that's always quick to fire up about change is the amygdala, which detects threats.
Pushing out of the comfort zone
You've probably noticed that the more often you do something like a 6am gym class, the easier it becomes to do.
"When a behaviour has been repeated over a long time, the brain economises and works out a quicker way of doing things that requires less effort and tires us less," Rickard explains."It becomes a well-worn pathway so the brain can almost do it automatically and free up higher parts of the brain to handle more complex things we need to think about. The neural pathways become more solid."
While it was once widely believed that our brains had limited capacity for change after adolescence, continued research, and Dr Norman Doidge's seminal book The Brain That Changes Itself has revealed that we can open up new pathways in our brains to change behaviour — with commitment and persistence. Meaning that while opting to wake up earlier, study harder or work later may seem impossible at first, dedication will reward you by making the task easier over time.
"You've got to commit to the intention and believe you've got control over it," says Rickard. "How much effort, time, patience and focused attention you can put into that new behaviour will determine how quickly you can unlearn the old behaviour and learn a new one."
Helping new habits stick
If you can override that fear response and push through with your new routine, whether it’s 5am workouts or online study, then the basal ganglia part of the brain will start to take over and make the new behaviour a habit.
"When it becomes automatic, like riding a bike or driving a car, that's when the basal ganglia and other more primitive parts of the brain take over," Rickard explains.
You might have heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit, but research shows that it varies drastically between individuals and depends on the habit they’re trying to form. In fact, some researchers found it takes people anywhere between 18 days and 254 to cement a new habit.
But regardless of how long it takes, Rickard says that the more frequently you change your routine or life, the easier your brain will cope with change.
"People who are flexible and have tried a few times to break a bad habit and have been successful get rewarded for that," Rickard says."[Habits] are quite hard to learn but once they're in [the brain], you slip into them almost without being aware — it becomes an automatic thing that happens."
Trying different ways of doing things — changing the routine, with different people, or in different places — can often remove some of the cues that trigger old habits, and help you begin the rewiring that builds a new healthier behaviour.
